Born in Haifa, Israel, Ofer Ben-Amots gave his first piano
concert at age nine and at age sixteen was awarded First Prize in the Chet
Piano Competition. Later, following composition studies with Joseph Dorfman
at Tel Aviv University, Mr. Ben-Amots was invited to study at the Conservatoire
de Musique in Geneva, Switzerland. There he studied with Pierre Wismer
and privately with Alberto Ginastera. Ofer Ben-Amots is an alumnus of the
Hochschule für Musik in Detmold, Germany, where he studied with Martin
Redel and Dietrich Manicke and graduated with degrees in composition, music
theory, and piano. Upon his arrival in the United States in 1987, Ben-Amots
studied with George Crumb and Richard Wernick at the University of Pennsylvania
where he received his Ph.D. in music composition. Currently on the faculty
of Colorado College, Dr. Ben-Amots is an Associate Professor of music composition
and theory.
Ofer Ben-Amots’ compositions are performed regularly
in concert halls and festivals worldwide. His music has been performed
by such orchestras as the Zürich Philharmonic, Munich Philharmonic,
ÖRF - Austrian Radio Orchestra, Brooklyn Philharmonic, The Moscow
Camerata, the Filarmonici di Sicili, the Concerto Soloists of Philadelphia,
The Portland Chamber Orchestra, and the symphonies of Heidelberg, Erfurt,
Brandenburg, and Colorado Springs among others. His compositions have been
professionally recorded by the Gewandhaus Orchestra of Leipzig, the Munich
Chamber Orchestra, the Barcelona Royal Symphony, the BBC Singers, and the
renowned Czech choirs Permonik and Jitro. Ben-Amots has received commissions
and grants from the MacArthur Foundation, Fulbright Foundation, Maurice
Amado Foundation, Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival, Fuji International
Music Festival in Japan, Delta Ensemble from Amsterdam, Assisi Musiche,
Musica Nova in Tel Aviv, and many others.
Ofer Ben-Amots is the winner of the 1994 Vienna International
Competition for Composers. His chamber opera, Fool’s Paradise,
was premiered in Vienna during the 1994 festival Wien modern and has become
subsequently part of the 1994/95 season of Opernhaus Zürich. He is
recipient of the 1988 Kavannagh Prize for his composition Fanfare for Orchestra
and the Gold Award at South Africa’s 1993 Roodepoort International
Competition for Choral Composition. His Avis Urbanus for
amplified flute was awarded First Prize at the 1991 Kobe International
Competition for Flute Composition in Japan. In 1999, Ben-Amots was awarded
the Aaron Copland Award and the Music Composition Artist Fellowship by
the Colorado Council on the Arts. Dr. Ben-Amots is a member of the Board
of the Milken Archive of American-Jewish Music. In addition, he is a Jerusalem
Fellow of the Center for Jewish Culture and Creativity and its Artistic
Director for North America since 1997.
Ofer Ben-Amots’ works have been repeatedly recognized
for their emotional and highly personal expression. The interweaving of
folk elements with contemporary textures, along with his unique imaginative
orchestration, creates the haunting dynamic tension that permeates and
defines Mr. Ben-Amots’ musical language. His music has published
by Baerenreiter, Kallisti Music Press, Muramatsu Inc., Dorn, and Tara Publications.
It can be heard on Naxos, Vantage, Plæne, Stylton, and other recording
labels.